The PS5 is a hot commodity right now, and for weeks the consoles been a target by the more unscrupulous people out in the world. Whether they’re using bots, demanding outrageous prices, or stealing packages.
But it doesn’t stop there. The PS5 is so sought after that gangs in the U.K. have started breaking into trucks mid-transit to snatch the consoles within.
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It’s a story that sounds like something straight out of a movie, with The Times reporting that gangs have been using an intercept technique called “the rollover”. Three cars box in a truck travelling at up to 50 mph, while one of the thieves climbs through the sunroof and attempts to break into the back of the truck.
The tactic has succeeded at least 27 times this year, and it’s not just PS5s the thieves are after. Trucks can contain all sorts of valuable goods, and thieves have made away with TVs, phones, cosmetics, and cigarettes. Apparently increased security makes it harder to intercept goods elsewhere in the supply chain, which is why gangs have been resorting to such a dangerous tactic.
Just last month £5 million ($6.7 million) worth of Apple products were stolen after thieves attacked a delivery truck on the M1 motorway.
Naturally with Christmas and the holidays coming, there are plenty of valuable shipments on the roads which makes them easy prey. Plus, given how scarce the PlayStation 5 is right now, it’s an obvious choice for thieves of all kinds. Especially considering eBay auctions for the console are well over the £449 retail price.
Of course, as relatively rare as these instances are, it’s endemic of a bigger problem. The PS5 has been incredibly hard to find, and people have shown they’re willing to overpay to get their hands on one. That just emboldens the thieves and scalpers hoping to make a quick buck, and their success encourages others to do the same.
Sony’s been working hard to improve the supply of PS5s, but as long as people are overpaying then there will be scalpers buying them up for their own gain.
If you want to stop them, and make it easier to buy a PS5 later on, you need to stop making it worth their while. If no one buys from the scalpers, they’ll in turn stop buying huge amounts from the retailers, opening the door for you to get it for a reasonable price. Or as reasonable as can be for a $500 console.
